Page 31 of Thanks for the Friendship
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I love Miami. Honestly, I don’t know if I could live anywhere else. People always seem surprised when I tell them I’ve lived in the same place all of my life. Our city has so much culture, nightlife, and beauty. It’s a gorgeous morning, and even though I stayed up way too late, I’m full of energy. There’s something so invigorating about spending the day on the water. Paul and I have been friends for years, only I haven’t seen him in several months. I’m not too concerned about it though, because we always pick up right where we left off—even if we’re mad at each other. I actually don’t think anything can upset me today, not even seeing Jordan. I just want to have fun and not worry about men, relationships, or selling my house.
“Lila Barlow has arrived,” Paul announces dramatically. He’s wearing a white button-down shirt, hot pink shorts and a captain’s hat.
“Nice hat,” I tease. “I’m surprised it took you so long to get one of those.”
“I thought the same thing,” he says. “It suits me, don’t you think?”
I laugh. “I actually think that hat was made especially for you.”
He does a little bow.
“More importantly, how are you doing?” he asks, concern in his voice.
I know he’s talking about Jordan.
“I’m totally fine.”
He grits his teeth. “Jordan might be coming today. I hope it won’t make things more difficult.”
I shake my head. “Nope. He sent me a text last night. It’s all good.”
He breathes a sigh of relief. Paul takes his parties very seriously. I know he doesn’t want to deal with any drama. If only he recognized that his good buddy Bethany always brings a good dose of drama.
A few other people join us, so I move on to make my rounds, saying hello to everyone and stopping by the smoothie bar to get a green juice. I love that Paul starts off his parties with a juice bar. Some people are able to drink alcohol first thing in the morning, and it baffles me. I wander up to the upper deck, and as soon as I turn a corner I come face to face with one of the worst people I’ve ever met. Bethany.
I knew there was a chance she’d be here today, but I was secretly praying something else would’ve come up. Work, a nasty stomach bug, chicken pox, anything.
“Oh, hello, Bethany,” I mutter through a forced smile. She’s wearing a tight, white, knit dress, that’s almost see-through. It’s actually an improvement compared to other outfits I’ve seen her wear. She also has one of the worst spray tans I’ve ever seen. Her feet and hands are orange and splotchy.
“Lila, it’s so nice of you to join us today.”
Ugh. She’s so irritating. This isn’t her boat, whether she likes it or not.
“You too,” I reply. “How are you?”
Ugh. Why did I even ask her that question? I couldn’t care less about how she is.
“I’m wonderful. I’m loving my job and getting to know my new home. I was made to live in this city.”
Ugh. Poor Miami. When Bethany came to visit Reagan, she suddenly decided she wanted to move here from Illinois. Reagan didn’t think she would go through with it, but here we are.
“Good for you.”
“How’s Reagan doing?”
Like she actually cares. She set out to sabotage her all while she was staying under our roof.
“Happy and content,” I reply. Sometimes this is the best payback when someone tries to inflict misery on a person.
“I’m glad to hear it,” she says. “I’ve been meaning to reach out to her.”
Why on earth would she do that? I desperately want to ask her this question, but I hold back because she probably won’t contact her anyway. And I certainly don’t want to encourage her to do so.
“Did you hear that Dante is opening a second restaurant?” she asks. “He’s doing so well.”
Dante is Reagan and Bethany’s friend from college. Reagan was hung up on him for years and just when it looked like they finally had their chance Bethany barged in and messed it up. It actually worked out in Reagan’s favor though, because Jeremy is a much better man for her. Dante’s first priority is his restaurant, and Reagan deserves more.
